Lake Oswego School Board approves $6.7 million settlement from construction firm that built Lake Oswego High School

View full sizeNICOLE DUNGCA/THE OREGONIANLake Oswego High School students will not have access to the school's front entrance and library for about a month during the last school year because of repairs on the $35 million school's roof, which began leaking not long after the school opened in 2005. The district has settled a lawsuit with the construction company that built the school.

The district brought a suit against Robinson Construction Company in 2009 seeking $1.2 million for breach of contract and negligence, then filed additional amended complaints as the district said it discovered more defects related to a leaking roof. Finance Director Stuart Ketzler said the latest complaint likely topped $10 million.

The district will be paid about $2.3 million from Robinson Construction, and the rest will be paid out by or on behalf of the project's subcontractors. The board also noted there could be slight changes from the draft settlement they approved this morning.

Superintendent Bill Korach said the district is feeling "really good" about finishing "phase one" of the legal drama that has enveloped the project.

"It brings some closure to part of this," said Korach.

Korach said there are related legal actions still up in the air, but declined to comment further.

Board chairman John Wendland had no comment, saying he was legally advised to keep mum on the legal action.

The board initially approved $2.8 million to repair the main building's roof, which kept students out of the main entrance during the 2010-11 school year. But further analysis revealed more issues, with the board eventually approving another $1.7 million in work.

The settlement is the latest chapter in a legal saga that has spanned multiple years. In January, the district approved a $600,000 settlement from LSW Architects, the Portland- and Vancouver-based architecture firm that designed Lake Oswego High School and Lakeridge High school's remodel. The district filed suit against the firm in 2008, also for breach of contract.